Lev: English could be major player for Chargers

SAN DIEGO – The former first-round draft pick exploded off the line and got a step on the current first-round pick, D.J. Fluker. The veteran dipped his right shoulder – a classic pass-rush move – to get under the hulking rook. The outside linebacker swiped at Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, barely missing him. It was impressive stuff nonetheless.

Dwight Freeney? No. Try Larry English.

Unless you follow the Chargers closely, you might be surprised to learn that English is still around. That's because he basically was invisible during his first four seasons as a pro.

A steady stream of injuries kept English from fulfilling the promise that made him the 16th selection in the 2009 draft (many believe he was a reach; knowing what we know now, it's hard to argue). But English is showing signs that 2013 might be different. For starters, he's healthy.

"That's the great thing," linebackers coach Joe Barry said during a break from training camp. "He had an unbelievable spring. He's just in a really good place right now."

As long as that place is the football field, English should be fine. If it's the training room, English will go down as just another bust from the A.J. Smith era (if he hasn't already).

As much as this season is a fresh start for the Chargers under new GM Tom Telesco and first-year coach Mike McCoy, it's a last chance for English to prove himself. His rookie contract expires at the end of the season. He'll be 28 in January – young for us commoners, middle-aged for a football player.

You'd think someone in English's situation would approach his job with a newfound sense of urgency. But that's the thing about English: He always has possessed that mindset. He's just had a terrible time getting his body to cooperate.

"It's not like Larry all of a sudden is acting differently," Barry said. "Larry shows up. I've been here 18 months. From the first time I met him, from the first time I got on the field with him, he's been full tilt, 100 percent, unbelievable worker, unbelievable effort. He's a professional. I've never questioned that once with Larry English, whether it was 18 months ago when his contract was still rolling or now when it's coming to the end. There hasn't been any change. Same guy."

To resurrect his career – and possibly lift the Chargers into playoff contention – English can't be the same guy he's been.

English has started only four games in four seasons, recording 8.5 sacks. He had at least eight three times at Northern Illinois, where he twice won the Vern Smith Leadership Award as the MAC's top player.

English played in only 13 of 32 games in 2010 and '11 because of foot injuries. He appeared in 14 games last season but barely contributed, recording 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

The numbers scream bust. English isn't willing to declare himself one, even if everyone else already has.

"Everybody's entitled to an opinion," he said. "That's not for me to judge. My job is to come to work, get better and focus on what I can control. That's just really myself, the effort I put forth and my progress. That's what I focus on."

The Chargers need English to produce, and they're giving him every opportunity. With 2012 first-rounder Melvin Ingram likely lost for the season because of a knee injury, and veteran Shaun Phillips now playing for the rival Broncos, English is one-third of a three-man rotation at outside linebacker. Freeney and veteran Jarrett Johnson are expected to start. But with Johnson nursing a leg injury, English has been running with the ones.

English absolutely looks the part of a premier pass rusher; as Barry put it, "if you didn't know our team and you walked out on to the field and you were picking your top 11 just off guys standing there," English would be one of them.

Smith saw enough to make English the 16th pick in a 2009 draft littered with first-round disappointments. English and injury-plagued 2010 first-rounder Ryan Mathews – who's also facing a make-or-break season – have come to personify all that was wrong with the Smith regime. They still have a shot to make things right.

"I've had some bumps in the road," English acknowledged. "But at the end of the day, I'm happy to be where I'm at right now."

English said those words while standing on a football field, his body intact, his outlook bright.